5+1 Reasons Your Small Business Needs a Blog

By Chloe Smith

 
If you are looking for a short answer to the question “does my small business needs a blog?” then my answer will always be yes – now stop questioning yourself and start typing.
However, if you need a little more convincing, here are 5 + 1 compelling reasons why your business needs a blog.

1. Fresh Content = Search Engine Love.

Search engines were built to bring you information, and of course they want to bring you, the searcher, the most relevant up to date content in response to your search query.
It makes sense then for you to upload fresh content to your blog as often as you can.
In return, you could be rewarded with search engine love – preferential rankings.
You might think that you don’t have anything to blog about – think again, there is always something to blog about.
You are the expert in your industry, and there will always be someone who wants to learn the information you have experience in.
To start, read “What should I post on my blog” article to help you get the writing juices flowing.

2. Builds Trust And Gives Your Company/Brand A Human Face.

With your target audience being even harder to reach today, and with traditional advertising causing consumer tunnel vision and ad blindness, your audience automatically filters out all the salesy spiel that is trying to grab their attention left, right and center.
So how do we move through the internet noise?
You provide information that informs and entertains, information they are looking for, exactly when they are looking for it.
Think of it like building a relationship; first trust has to be established and only then will you give a little more – in this case, (hopefully) their money.

3. The Scope For Sharing.

Yes, I know you have read this 12 million times before, but people LOVE social media – and you should too. Sharing is big business in the internet exchange. I mean who doesn’t love a funny cat or an undiscovered internet gem?
Creating compelling content will give your audience the scope for sharing, and sharing = brand awareness. Search and social now go hand in hand meaning the more times content is read, shared and passed around the internet, the more chance you will have to be indexed by search engines.
Why?
Well, when people read and share your content it is a good sign to the search engines that your article is interesting/entertaining and relevant, and search engines like nothing more than to serve interesting/entertaining and relevant content to its searchers.

4. Builds Your Expert Status.

Building your expert status as a small business owner is extremely important, being the new kid in town in your industry is tough, and people need to be sure you know what you are talking about before they part with any resources.
Having a blog for your small business will allow you to waffle endlessly about the topics you are passionate about (a bit like I am doing now). And the more you talk about what you know, and the more people listen,  the quicker you’ll go from the new kid in town to the kid in town to go to for your product/service.

5. Interaction!

Everyone likes a bit of social affirmation now and again, having a blog for your small business encourages people to comment on your article (ahem!), and when people like what you are writing you’ll feel the love of the internet, begin to build relationships and could even meet the person you are going to fall in love with – hey! it could happen!
I digress, interaction is a key reason in brand awareness and building potentially important relationships. FYI people like to talk to humans, so make sure you are reciprocating the interaction.

+1. It Can Actually Be Quite Therapeutic.

So this is a reason that benefits you and your sanity. After a long day running your small empire, and questioning why you ever started in the first place, waffling into the internet abyss can actually be very relaxing. As a small business owner myself, I know all too well how easy it is to get wrapped up into the daily grind of building and growing your business. Writing a blog can help you to reflect on how far you have come on your entrepreneurial journey, allowing you to appreciate the bigger picture of running your own business and keep moving forward.
Also, sharing your knowledge knowing someone else may benefit from what you have learnt – as you have learnt from others, is a very satisfying feeling.
Your blog/article has the potential to encourage someone to take the next step, make a change, or try that new thing.
So go forth bloggers-on-the-fence, you could change somebody’s world.
insert dramatic closing music
Seriously though, get a blog. Your business needs a blog.